Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Have you seen the new ad for Wendy's Baconator (830 calories, 51g fat, 190 mg cholesterol, 1760 mg sodium)? I can't find the video online, but essentially this guy turns down a bite of salad from his fellow female diner, proclaiming himself a "meatetarian." When she looks at him in disbelief, he explains that he only eats beef and bacon. He says something about it being a tough diet, and that one really has to commit. While I dislike Wendy's not-so-subtle implication that real men eat meat (leave the salad-nibbling to the chicks, right?), I can't believe they are celebrating the combination of beef and bacon. Have fun when the coronary hits, you jackass.

Hear hear! I was just thinking about gender stereotypes in advertising when I saw a commercial for klondike bars about a man who apparently "deserved" a klondike bar for keeping his eyes on his wife when an attractive woman walked past him. So ...avoiding adultery deserves rewards now? Classic.

i just saw this commercial last night. i was torn between laughing, and being offended. saying being a "meatatarian" is a personal choice, and it's tough...something you have to commit to. how is being a fat, unethical, glutton a tough choice? it's obviously poking fun at vegetarians/vegans. but at the same time, it's so ridiculous (and actually describes how my husband would prefer to be), that i really did find it funny. i have to say though, i TOTALLY didn't pick up on the salad/chick vs. meat/machismo connection. i suppose a lot of people could see it that way...or you could choose to see it as women just automatically making healthier, smarter food choices. ;)

I almost had a coronary just reading the nutritional (if you can call it that) information about the Baconator. Wendys should be ashamed of themselves but instead they are quite proud of their creation.

This commercial made me so sad, because my father has serious food-related health issues, and he thought this commercial was so funny. He is definitely a man who feels that eating vegetables other than green beans cooked for an hour is "something women do." That was one reason I could hardly believe my eyes when I found "Vegan Dad"! I LOVE your blog!!!

I saw the commercial, and loudly said "But he has a bun!! And cheese!!" pointing out that he wasn't a very good "meatatarian" and caused everyone to laugh and outdid the commercial with its own silliness!

I sent Wendy's a comment after seeing the commercial because I was so appalled by the concept, reminding them that they do have limited vegetarian and vegan customers who order off of their sparse veg-friendly options and that it's a mistake to so blatantly market against them. That, and the "Real men eat meat!" concept is simply ridiculous and a little blasé.

Wendy's used to be relatively veg-friendly, with a decent salad bar, baked potato with several toppings options, and not-one-but-TWO-vegetarian pita sandwich offerings. I actually used to go there on purpose, just to support their veg-friendly ways. That was years ago. They recently went belly-up and were bought out by Arby's. Blech. ~Jain

I knew I would not be the only one offended by that commercial. I so hate being hit with these kinds of advertisements when all I want to do is relax and vegetate in front of the TV a bit. This was one of the worst ever.

I just saw that compound-cholesterol-campaign today TuesAug12 2k8 and thought of you VD (there's got to be a better nick name for your screen name)'bout Feedme [mit eine cherman accent]Iknow,I know a screename IS a nickname....Mabey Ed AmAme?? Fine.

btw do YOU pronounce the G in Vegan soft or hard?How Bout the E soft or hard?. I care cuz I've been commissioned to work as a personal chef preparing Vegan meals on the regular chef's days off.... And I kinda needed that 'Mayoli' recipe so...COOL!!all material copyright glipco2k8 what an ego ayee?Syd Famis AlbNM USA

I never understood the vegan standpoint that eating meat isn't humane. Do you think it is inhumane when a spider eats a fly or when a tiger eats a gazelle? We are part of the food chain like any other animal.

Animals, by virtue of not being human, cannot have humanity. Even so, no tiger ever packed hundreds of gazelles into a feedlot, fed them a concoction of antibiotics and hormones, gorged them on grain (or, worse yet, ground up dead gazelles) instead of their natural diet of grass, only to ship them off to be butchered by poorly trained workers in a assembly-line slaughterhouse whose main concern was profit, not animal welfare or human health. Humans, on the other hand, do all these things and more, and it is a reflection on our utter lack of humanity. Watch the video at http://www.meat.org/ and tell me that the meat industry is humane.

I never said the meat industry is humane, I agree that it is very inhumane (and I have seen that video). Free range meat is available though, and the farmers and meat packers take pride in their more humane practices. From a humanity standpoint (not a health standpoint), why choose to be a vegan rather than eat free range meats?

Anon,Agreed, there are places to get meat that are "more humane" than factory farms. But for me, personally, humans do not need meat to survive, so any killing of animals for food is needless and pointless, and thus inhumane. Plus, humanity reaches beyond treatment of animals. We could sustain the global population on a plant-based diet. As such, I don't want to participate in any part of an economy/system that makes something like the Baconator possible while starvation kills people off. I think that humanity, health, and environment are all linked together.

Why choose to be a vegan? In my mind, if humans were natural meat-eaters, then road kill would look appetizing. We'd have no problem watching what happens in slaughterhouses. We'd be tempted to dig our claws and fangs (oh, wait, we don't have those?) into our family pet. We can live happily, and thrive even, on a plant-based diet. Who was it who said, "put a rabbit and an apple into a crib with a baby, and if they eat the rabbit and play with the apple, I'll buy you a new car!"

Plus, read the book 'slaughterhouse' if you think those supposed "humanely-raised" meats have a good life and happy death. They are all tortured, abused, and treated as property. Bottom line, in my mind, no sentient being should be the property of another. From there, it's a simple logical step to veganism (no animal exploitation / use: no dairy, eggs, rodeos, aquariums, etc). Thanks for this forum, Vegan Dad! And thanks to everyone who gives these issues some thought w/ an open mind, even if you're not vegan yet. It took me a few years to make the final step but once I did, it was super easy and I was amazed it took me so long.

Wonderful thoughtful posts - very intelligent and a pleasure to read. I am so grateful that Vegan Dad is here because men need to be vegetarian/vegan as much as women and there are all these ridiculous stereotypes against that. Why shouldn't a man want to be compassionate and healthy? I have seen the Go Meat ad and it is so offensive. But of course these are people grilling sausages -they don't even know that they once were sentient beings.

You know, maybe I'm just one of those humorless vegans, but isn't it kinda rude to go onto someone's (award-winning) food blog and criticize they way they cook (and indirectly, the way they parent)? Vegan Dad, I APPRECIATE you inspiring all us vegan parents (and non-vegan parents!) with cruelty-free recipes THAT KIDS WILL LIKE (um, which is the point of this blog). I have some fat-free tomato-bean soup with locally grown collards in the crock pot right now. I also know my kids won't touch it. Kids need a higher-fat diet than adults do, and I appreciate getting creative, family-friendly ideas here that working, real-life parents have time to fix after work and enjoy with their families. Keep up the good work and don't let the spammers get you down!

You know what? I love this blog. And why read a vegan recipe blog if you disagree with veganism? Vegan Dad is here to bless us with a plethora of wonderful vegan recipes. Not to criticize or argue over.

If you have questions or want to learn about veganism in general, go to http://www.goveg.com, it is very informative and convincing. Also, searching "vegan" on YouTube can produce some very informative results.

I didn't want to debate the matter online, but allow me to point out to Janet that children 0 to 3 (according to the Mayo Clinic) need more fat than 4 to 100 years old, but then, their 4 to 100 years old recommendations are about twice to three times the fat recommended by research from Drs. Ornish, Esselstyn, and Barnard.

Furthermore, it's not the fat per se: it's the added fat (not normallly IN food) that has been shown to cause strokes and heart disease (through plaque formation).

A no-added fat vegan diet has been shown to reverse diabetes, too. It may be that suspect high fructose syrup isn't the only reason for the epidemic of Type II diabetes in children.

Finally, I wasn't spamming! I provided an URL, my name, and since comments are moderated, if Vegan Dad was offended he could have easily disallowed my Comment (they're moderated), and I would not have begrudged had he done so.

As I've mentioned (and in other comments before) I find his cooking inspiring and quite creative. Mine was an FYI as I don't have his e-mail address and he seems (sorry for the third person!) like someone who'd look into such suggestions if well documented regarding fat in diet.

It's a relatively new discovery and answers the question of why a runner like Fixx or vegans or vegetarians who seem physically fit, get heart disease. It's not the genetics; it's the added fat in diet. The veg'n community is not immune simply because it doesn't consume meat (and or dairy, eggs). Sure, the risk is less, but it can be brought down to near zero.

Since Vegan Dad was commenting on Wendy's in relationship to "coronary hits" it seemed reasonable to point in, politely, in a Comment that beef and bacon, although increasing the risks, aren't the only issue regarding our epidemic of cornoary heart disease.

Mark,My email is listed near the bottom of the far right column of the blog.

You are right, of course, that a no added fat diet is ideal. No arguments there. And, my blog is not fat free, for sure. But, while not perfect, for the most part I think it is pretty healthy. I do indulge in some decadent treats but never try to pass them off as healthy just because they are vegan. I tell it like it is.

I still feel justified in critiquing Wendy's because even frying my tofu is nowhere close to the 51g of fat in the Baconator. I would say the risks of some added fat (I use canola and olive) are pretty low compared to the sat and trans-fest of fast food. While it may make me at more risk, I wouldn't say I am at risk. My total cholesterol is 112, so that theory seems to have borne out in the numbers.

That being said, I am not snubbing my nose at fat free (or added fat free), or potential health risks. You have made me mindful that I can do more to eliminate unneeded fats and make my recipes more healthy. Thanks for making us all aware of the studies and providing the links.

re: optimal vegan nutrition, this free online talk from Dr. Michael Greger: http://drgreger.org/talks/ on optimum vegan nutrition also lays out a compelling case for the importance of getting supplemental B12 and omega 3's in the vegan diet. There are several brands of vegan DHA out there (after all, the fish get it from algae and so can we!). Cheers, all...

I saw this commercial and I thought it was hilarious. I would have though it was offensive usually, but my boss is a militant vegan douchebag. Like most of the population I'm omni and even though I am overweight, the Baconator still seems overkill even to me.

While I agree this is gross (and I too am a vegetarian, dairy-free vegetarian to be exact), the bacon and beef are actually quite unlikely to be causing coronary problems. We've been fed some really bad information over the last 3 decades connecting fat to heart failure. Sugar and processed grains are the real culprits in most Western diseases as well as obesity. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend Gary Taubes' book Good Calories, Bad Calories. It's mind-boggling and packed with research and information. It prompted me to drop all cane sugar and processed grains (white rice, anything made of flour) from my diet. I can honestly say I have more energy and quickly starting dropping pounds.

Thanks Vegan Dad! I find it somewhat ironic that a vegan blog has alerted this high-coronary-risk glutton to the existence of the Baconator. There is a Wendy's half a mile from my house. Tonight's dinner will contain at least 830 calories.

In my country we have anti religious vilification laws and because there are several religions that do not eat meat it can be argued that it is unlawful to ridicule people for being vegetarian or vegan.

Claire- yes I have seen the Hilshire Farms "Go Meat!" commercials as well. Another perpetuation of the "Mean eat meat" stereotype.

I keep hoping that V8 will make a mockery of each of these with someone shooting a look of disbelief and a sudden slap on the head. "Coulda had a V8!"

Vegan Dad- thank you for all that you do. Your recipes have inspired me to add fiber and nutrient rich (not to forget tasty) pumpkin into some dishes. While there might be some extra fat here and there, we need to remember that he is making kid friendly meals. I don't know about you, but when I was a kid I would not eat anything unless it was smothered with cheese. The thought of it utterly make me sick when I look back on it. Cheers to you, your blog, and the importance of nutrition you are instilling in your children!